No Child Let Ahead - Give me a break
by user Layla I received this in my email today and it never ceases to amaze me how biased some are regarding our public school system. This is just another example of criticism against No Child Left Behind, which helps children get ahead. Also, I might add that those children that excel in their studies are not hindered by the program, but are encouraged to progress towards advancement. As for those tax dollars spent on the program - they are well spent when you consider all the pork spending that goes on in our government. Also not mentioned in the press release is the tax payer dollars wasted at the local level and not limited to many a school district. Via an Ayn Rand Institute Press Release: "With the No Child Left Behind Act up for reauthorization, critics are pointing out that it is preventing gifted children from advancing ahead. Because the act forces states to ensure that the weakest students are not left behind, it has dried up funding for programs intended to challenge the strongest. "The problem is not just with No Child Left Behind," said Dr. Keith Lockitch, resident fellow of the Ayn Rand Institute. "The problem is inherent in the very system of public education, itself. When people’s tax dollars are taken to pay for the education of other people’s children, there is no way to distribute those dollars fairly." "The inevitable result is a massive government bureaucracy making collective judgments involving millions of students. And given the egalitarian philosophy dominating that bureaucracy, should it be any surprise that it is our nation’s best and brightest that are sacrificed in the attempt to serve the weakest? "Only a free market in education can prevent the injustices of the current system–a system that, like any government-run industry, has deteriorated into a junk heap of dismal public schools that meets no one’s educational needs."" How wrong this press release from Ayn Rand is and this is how one persons opinion influences many who know nothing of the subject and like the author, knows nothing of what he speaks. Our brightest students are not being sacrificed in an attempt to serve the weakest. For one, the best and brightest students if they attend public schools most likely attend in middle to upper middle class neighborhoods. The majority of schools selected for No Child Left Behind are in lower class to impoverished neighborhoods where quality education is sorely needed. Many of those students in our poorest neighborhoods that are the recipients of the No Child Left Behind are just as bright as those students in better schools - they just need the extra help so they can go on to higher education in the future equipped to be productive citizens that give back to their communities. It is too bad that some feel an investment in our children, which is our nations greatest resource is wasted money or hindering more accomplished students. So untrue, so biased, and typical left snobbery. Give me a break! Crossposted from The HILL Chronicles __NOEDITSECTION__ Category: Opinions Category: Opinions by User Layla Category: February 14, 2007 Category: society Opinions Category: media Opinions Category: opinions Opinions From The Opinion Wiki, a Wikia wiki. From The Opinion Wiki, a Wikia wiki.